Newsletter Archives

Publications

The Legal Action Center publishes the following manuals/handbooks that are particularly relevant t0 employers, service providers and individuals. These publications can be downloaded in .pdf format by clicking on each cover.
How to Get and Clean Up Your New York State Rap SheetHow To Get and Clean Up Your New York State Rap Sheet.
Purpose: practical guide for ex-offenders on how to correct errors on NYS criminal records and obtain certificates of rehabilitation. Frequency: periodically as needed to update; most recent edition published 2007.
Employment Discrimination and What To Do About It - New YorkEmployment Discrimination in New York and What To Do About It.
Purpose: legal/practical guide for counselors of ex-offenders and persons with histories of alcohol or drug abuse, to assist them in preparing clients to seek employment and avoid or remedy employment discrimination. Frequency: periodically as needed to update; most recent edition published 2001.
Setting the Record StraightSetting the Record Straight: What Defense Attorneys Need to Know About the Civil Consequence of Client Criminal Records.
Purpose: practical/legal guide for New York State defense attorneys on how to prevent and correct errors in their clients' criminal records. Frequency: periodically as needed to update; most recent edition published fall 2001.
  Welfare As We Know It NowWelfare As We Know It Now.
Purpose: inform health and human service providers and clients about the requirements of New York State's welfare reform law as applied to persons with alcohol or drug histories, criminal records and/or HIV/AIDS. Frequency: first ed. published 1998, second ed. published 1999.
Steps to SuccessSteps to Success: Helping Women with Alcohol and Drug Problems Move from Welfare to Work.
Purpose: inform policy makers, state and local officials and providers how to help women with alcohol or drug problems move from welfare to work. Frequency: published 1999.
  How to Obtain Important Documents.
Purpose: guide for consumers in New York State about how to obtain documents such as birth certificates, etc. Frequency: most recent edition published 2006.
Getting to WorkGetting to Work: How TANF Can Support Ex-Offender Parents in the Transition to Self-Sufficiency.
Purpose: inform policy makers and providers about barriers to ex-offender parents' employment and self-sufficiency, offer policy recommendations for improving employment success of ex-offender parents. Frequency: published 2001.
  From Hard Time to Full TimeFrom Hard Time to Full Time: Strategies to Help Move Ex-Offenders from Welfare to Work.
Purpose: practical guide for workforce development organizations and welfare offices to understand the barriers individuals with criminal history records face in obtaining employment and to assist them in that process. Published by the U.S. Department of Labor in June 2001.
Employment Discrimination and What To Do About It - CaliforniaEmployment Discrimination and What to Do About It: A Guide for California Counselors of Individuals with Criminal Records or in Recovery from Alcohol and Drug Dependence.
Purpose: legal/practical guide for counselors of individuals with criminal or alcohol and drug dependence records to assist them in preparing clients to seek employment and avoid or remedy employment discrimination. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
  Employment Discrimination and What To Do About It - VirginiaEmployment Discrimination and What to Do About It: A Guide for Virginia Counselors of Individuals with Criminal Records or in Recovery from Alcohol and Drug Dependence.
Purpose: legal/practical guide for counselors of individuals with criminal or alcohol and drug dependence records to assist them in preparing clients to seek employment and avoid or remedy employment discrimination. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
Employment Discrimination and What To Do About It - PennsylvaniaEmployment Discrimination and What to Do About It: A Guide for Pennsylvania Counselors of Individuals with Criminal Records or in Recovery from Alcohol and Drug Dependence.
Purpose: legal/practical guide for counselors of individuals with criminal or alcohol and drug dependence records to assist them in preparing clients to seek employment and avoid or remedy employment discrimination. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002
  Employment Discrimination and What To Do About It - IllinoisEmployment Discrimination and What to Do About It: A Guide for Illinois Counselors of Individuals with Criminal Records or in Recovery from Alcohol and Drug Dependence.
Purpose: legal/practical guide for counselors of individuals with criminal or alcohol and drug dependence records to assist them in preparing clients to seek employment and avoid or remedy employment discrimination. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
How to Get and Clean Up Your California Rap SheetHow to Get and Clean Up Your California Rap Sheet.
Purpose: practical guide for individuals with criminal justice records on how to obtain their criminal justice records, correct errors, obtain evidence of rehabilitation and prepare for job search. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
  How to Get and Clean Up Your Virginia Rap SheetHow to Get and Clean Up Your Virginia Rap Sheet.
Purpose: practical guide for individuals with criminal justice records on how to obtain criminal justice records, correct errors, obtain evidence of rehabilitation and prepare for job search. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
How to Get and Clean Up Your Pennsylvania Rap SheetHow to Get and Clean Up Your Pennsylvania Rap Sheet.
Purpose: practical guide for individuals with criminal justice records on how to obtain criminal justice records, correct errors, obtain evidence of rehabilitation and prepare for job search. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.
  How to Get and Clean Up Your Illinois Rap SheetHow to Get and Clean Up Your Illinois Rap Sheet.
Purpose: practical guide for individuals with criminal justice records on how to obtain criminal justice records, correct errors, obtain evidence of rehabilitation and prepare for job search. Frequency: first edition published in Spring 2002.

Certificates of Relief From Disabilities and Certificates of Good Conduct.
Purpose: This pamphlet guides individuals with criminal histories through the process of obtaining specific New York State certificates that can be helpful in overcoming barriers to employment that may exist because of a criminal conviction. Frequency: periodically as needed to update; most recent edition published 2007.

 

Occupational Licensing Survey (2006). Originally conducted by the Legal Action Center in 2001
Purpose: Details the criteria for applying and being eligible to obtain many different New York State issued occupational licenses.

After Prison: Roadblocks to Reentry is the first-ever comprehensive study of the legal barriers in all 50 states that people with criminal records must overcome in order to lead productive, law-abiding lives and successfully rejoin society. The report documents state laws and policies that prevent qualified individuals with arrest and conviction records from obtaining employment, housing, food stamps & public assistance, and drivers' licenses, and from voting and becoming adoptive and foster parents; grades states on whether their laws and policies help or hinder the ability of people with criminal records to reenter society successfully; and provides policy recommendations.

 

Working Ahead: A Guide for Connecting Youth Offenders with Employment Opportunities: Although this guidebook was written to provide specific guidance to case managers who work with individuals involved in the juvenile or adult criminal justice systems in the U.S. Department of Labor's Region 6 (which includes AK, AR, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, and WA), it provides invaluable information and guidance that is useful and relevant to any practitioner working with job seekers affected by the criminal justice system in the United States.
Safe at Home: A Reference Guide for Public Housing Officials on the Federal Housing Laws Regarding Admission and Eviction Standards for People with Criminal Records - Public housing policies in this country are governed by a complex set of federal laws and regulations, local policy directives, ordinances, and judicial case law. The rules concerning the eligibility of people who have criminal records are particularly confusing. This guidebook explains what the federal housing laws require, highlights those areas where public housing agencies (PHAs) have discretion to craft their own admission and eviction policies related to people with criminal records, and offers recommendations on effective ways to use that discretion to simultaneously meet important public safety goals and the housing needs of people with criminal records. Our report shows that the establishment of balanced and fair policies by PHAs that give individuals with criminal records the opportunity to apply for or remain in public housing will not only help these individuals successfully reintegrate, but will also increase public safety by reducing recidivism and relapse.

Know Your Rights: Understanding Juvenile & Criminal Records and Their Impact on Employment in New York State. This booklet was written to educate young people who have been involved in the criminal justice system, and those that work with them, on the challenges they might face when seeking employment and what can be done to lessen barriers.


How to Get Section 8 or Public Housing Even with a Criminal Record - This manual tells people in New York City how they can get into Section 8 and public housing even if they – or someone in their household – has a criminal record or is in recovery from a drug problem. The manual is designed for applicants and their advocates. It contains the New York City Housing Authority admissions policies for people with criminal records and recent illegal drug use, and step-by-step suggestions for how people can gather the evidence of rehabilitation necessary to gain housing. It also includes sample letters of reference – the type people really need to convince housing authorities of their rehabilitation. Though the manual focuses on New York City Housing Authority policies, its chapter on How Can You Win Your Hearing? can help people applying to other local housing authorities marshal their best evidence of rehabilitation.

Bench Guide - This bench guide is a resource for New York City Supreme and Criminal Court judges, providing information on all the alternative to incarceration (ATI) programs in NYC funded by the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. The bench guide lists programs that provide services to criminal justice involved individuals who have no special needs, as well as programs that provide specialized services, such as services for youth, Spanish speakers or victims of domestic violence or child abuse, as well as HIV, drug treatment or mental health services. In addition, the bench guide specifies whether these programs accept male and/or female clients, the county these programs serve, as well as whether they accept individuals with co-occurring disorders and predicate felons. The guide also describes the services provided by these program, their assessment process, and well as contact information for each program.

Perpetual Punishment: Consequences of Adult Convictions for Youth - Although contrary to the purpose of the creation of two separate justice systems for youth and adults, the irreversible mark of a criminal record is no longer reserved for youth charged as adults. In many instances, youthful adjudications or convictions are coming back to haunt adults years later. This policy brief provides a snapshot review of the barriers youth with adult criminal records face and recommendations for improving policies that will support their successful reentry into society.